Current communication systems allow digital media to be shared between users and entities on a communication network. Although current communication systems allow digital media to be shared among users and entities on a communication network, current sharing methodologies are somewhat limiting. Current communication systems provide two primary ways that allow users to exchange digital media. A first methodology utilizes fairly interactive method by permitting a personal computer (PC) having an upstream and downstream connection to, for example, the Internet, an intranet and a local are network (LAN).
An Internet service provider ISP) may provide or issue a temporary Internet protocol (IP) address to personal computers connected to the Internet using, for example, dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP). Some computers may also be provided with a static IP address. The personal computers may then access web sites on the Internet using a web browser and send and receive email with or without file attachments in order to exchange media, data, and services between the personal computes. Files may also be transferred over the Internet using various protocols such as file transfer protocol (FTP) and hypertext transfer protocol. File transfer protocol (FTP) allows personal computers connected to the Internet to exchange files, independently of the personal computer hardware platform. Hypertext transfer protocol allows personal computers to upload and download information between a web server hosting a web site and a personal computer.
A user of a personal computer may connect a digital media device or a media peripheral device such as a digital camera or a MP3 player to a personal computer and download or upload digital files from the digital media device to the personal computer. A media peripheral device may interface to a personal computer through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface in order to exchange digital media between a personal computer and the media peripheral device. Again, the digital files may be attached to emails and shared with others in such a manner.
A user may have access to digital broadcast media through a set-top-box (STB) providing predominantly one-way communication. One-way communication is particularly true in satellite-based applications and broadcast television communication systems. In this regard, broadcast media may be sent from a broadcast media provider to the set-top-box. A user of a set-top-box may also be able to order media content such as movies through specialized broadcast channels such as pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast channels via the set-top-box. However, interaction between the user and the set-top-box is, otherwise, very limited. A set-top-box may interface to a cable infrastructure, a satellite and/or digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure to receive and/or transmit broadcast media and to exchange access information between the infrastructure and the set-top-box.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.